Oregon Officials Issue Ballot Title For Initiative To Legalize Marijuana Social Lounges

A campaign aimed at legalizing cannabis social lounges in Oregon passed its
latest checkpoint on Wednesday as state officials granted a draft ballot
title and summary for its proposed voter initiative.

The move brings organizers one step closer to the launch of a statewide
signature-gathering effort in order to qualify the measure for the November
2026 general election.

The Oregon Cannabis Cafe Coalition (OCCC)—a Portland-based group that
advocates for the legalization of smoking lounges and cafes where
consumption of infused edibles is permitted—needed to collect least 1,000
validated voter signatures in order have the state attorney general prepare
the ballot title and summary. The campaign in June submitted more than
1,400 signatures, which were verified earlier this month by the Secretary
of State Office’s Elections Division.

On Wednesday, the state attorney general’s office issued the prospective
measure a draft ballot title and summary. The deadline for public comments
on the proposal is August 6.

If no one challenges the draft title and summary, said Justyce Seith, chief
petitioner for the Oregon Cannabis Social Lounge Act, broader signature
gathering is expected to begin in September.

The campaign will have to collect just over 117,000 valid voter signatures
to put the initiative on the ballot.

“The progress of the campaign is going much better than anticipated,”
Seith, OCCC’s founder, told Marijuana Moment in an email this week. “We are
very excited for the challenges coming up.”

She added that the campaign is scheduled to speak at an upcoming City of
Portland Cannabis Policy Oversight Team (CPOT) meeting on September 11.

*The draft ballot title and summary issued by the AG’s office Wednesday are
as follows:*

*DRAFT BALLOT TITLE*

*Allows “lounges” open to public for consumption of cannabis products;
requires licensing process, government outreach*

*Result of “Yes” Vote:* “Yes” vote allows “microbusiness” operated
“lounges” open to public (21 or older) for consumption of cannabis
products; creates licensing process; local oversight; mandates government
outreach.

*Result of “No” Vote:* “No” vote retains current law prohibiting public
consumption of cannabis products.

*Summary:* Currently, federal/state law prohibits the public consumption of
cannabis products. Measure amends state law, requires Oregon Liquor and
Cannabis Commission (OLCC) to establish/issue licenses to qualified
applicants for operation of “social lounges” where adults may consume
certain cannabis products in public. Only “microbusinesses” (undefined)
eligible for license; cannabis retail dispensaries may not operate under
license and legal entity name. Adults must bring own cannabis for
consumption, no on-premises cannabis sales allowed. Operator may sell
non-cannabis food/beverages if certified by local health department; may
sell products containing hemp-derived CBD. Alcohol/tobacco
products/consumption prohibited on premises. Local governments may issue
permits, impose additional limitations/restrictions. Requires OLCC/public
health authorities provide “educational materials and outreach programs”
regarding purpose and rules governing lounges.


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Seith told Marijuana Moment last month that an early goal of the campaign
is to raise funds to help pay for professional petitioners, billboard
advertisements, web design and community events. She was also reaching out
to companies and individuals who might be able to volunteer, host campaign
events or help amplify organizers’ efforts.

“If anyone is willing to contribute monetary funds, or even time and
resources, that would be fantastic!” she said at the time, encouraging
supporters to visit the campaign’s website and Instagram page or email
organizers directly. “I really am just one woman trying to make a
difference.”

Seith initially filed the initiative petition in April, a little more than
a month after submitting a separate, similar proposal that would legalize
cannabis cafes. The later initiative, which refers to the facilities as
“social lounges,” is the measure the campaign will attempt to put before
voters.

If passed, it would legalize and regulate state-licensed cannabis
consumption lounges, offering what the initiative describes as “a safe,
legal environment for adults to consume cannabis” in compliance with state
law.

“These lounges will operate in a manner that ensures public health and
safety, while providing adult-use cannabis consumers with a designated
space to enjoy cannabis in social settings, and allowing the sale and
consumption of unmedicated food and beverages,” the petition’s purpose
section says.

It specifies that cannabis social lounge licenses would be available only
to small cannabis business licensees, known in the state as microbusinesses.

Under the proposal, cannabis social lounges could allow adults 21 and older
to consume cannabis and sell “unmedicated food and beverages,” but they
could not “sell, distribute, or provide cannabis for sale on the premises”
of the business.

Consumption of marijuana “must be limited to smoking, vaping, and the
consumption of non-edible products,” the proposal says.

Alcohol and tobacco—including nicotine vape products—would be strictly
prohibited at the businesses. They would also need to close by 2 a.m.

It’s unclear whether local governments could prohibit the establishments.
The petition says they could “regulate the number of cannabis social
lounges” and set further restrictions, but it doesn’t address outright
bans. Local governments would also be able to inspect the lounges to ensure
compliance with state and local law.

Regulators at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) would
oversee the new businesses. The petition outlines a license application
process for lounges as well as basic penalties, noting, for example, that
violations of any provisions in the act may result in fines and/or license
suspension or revocation. It also says unlicensed operation of a lounge
could carry civil and criminal penalties.

As for public education, lounges would be required to post “signs or other
visual aids…to inform patrons about the risks of cannabis consumption and
the lounge’s operating rules,” the proposal says.

OLCC would also work with public health authorities ” to provide
educational materials and outreach programs to ensure that Oregon residents
understand the purpose and rules governing cannabis consumption lounges.”

The new measure would appear on Oregon’s November 2026 ballot. If approved,
it would take effect January 1, 2027.

Separately in Oregon this month, the state’s Court of Appeals criticized
the state’s police force for using warrantless “technologically-enhanced
surveillance” to go after an illegal marijuana operation.

The post Oregon Officials Issue Ballot Title For Initiative To Legalize
Marijuana Social Lounges appeared first on Marijuana Moment.